A football club’s stadium is sacred ground for its supporters, who turn up week after week to back their team. Some homes are magnificent, packed with history and character, with barely a poor seat in the house, while others leave plenty to be desired.

Fans will always have a soft spot for the place where they watch their beloved club, but from an aesthetic point of view, some stadiums across world football are hard on the eyes.

With that in mind, 20 of the ugliest stadiums in the beautiful game have been named and ranked, according to AI. West Ham’s London Stadium and Oxford’s Kassam Stadium both make the cut, alongside plenty of other English grounds – including ones in the Premier League – that are a blot on the landscape.

20

Broadwood Stadium (Scotland)

What AI said: “A three-sided (or incomplete) modern ground with a blank wall or missing stand element, producing a sterile, incomplete aesthetic common to several lower-league Scottish venues.”

An incomplete mess, Hamilton Academical’s old ground disguises the fact it only has three stands by putting a big grey wall on one side of the pitch. To make matters worse, the fact that it has hosted several different clubs over the years means it lacks a true identity – whereas at least the other stadiums higher up these rankings can be easily recognised as belonging to a specific club.

19

Vitality Stadium (England)

What AI said: “The Premier League’s smallest ground feels cramped and unfinished in places despite upgrades, often criticised as visually underwhelming for top-flight football.”

There isn’t an awful lot wrong with Bournemouth’s home stadium, other than the fact it is generic and small, but that is in large part due to the club’s meteoric rise under Eddie Howe, which saw them rise to the Premier League quicker than they could upgrade their facilities, paving the way for the team to outgrow it.

18

Coliseum Alfonso Perez (Spain)

What AI said: “A basic, boxy ground with little architectural merit, regularly appearing on European ‘ugliest’ lists for its plain, uninspiring design.”

The big shame about Getafe’s stadium is that the fans inside deserve so much more. Supporters are known for being fiercely loyal to a smaller, community-focused club that operates in the massive shadow of Real Madrid, though any sound they make is ruined by a stadium that looks comparable to a sun-soaked Gillingham counterpart.

17

King Baudouin Stadium (Belgium)

What AI said: “An aging national venue with a tired, utilitarian appearance that lacks modern elegance or distinctive character.”

Grey, dull, and mostly lifeless – much like Brussels itself, the King Baudouin Stadium is completely lacking the charm you’d expect it to have considering it’s been the home of the national team’s most recent golden generation, with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, and Romelu Lukaku giving Belgium genuine belief they could win a Euros.

16

Bloomfield Road (England)

What AI said: “Awkwardly sited next to a spa and Travelodge in a residential/seaside area, it feels more like an add-on attraction than a proper football stadium.”

There was a time when Blackpool was a thriving touristic city, while there was also a time its football club was in the Premier League. Those days are long gone, and you can really get that feeling around Bloomfield Road, with it rotting away like many of the nearby casinos and arcades. A recent poor ownership hadn’t helped, with many supporters boycotting home games, accelerating the rot.

15

Selhurst Park (England)

What AI said: “A cramped, dated ground in a poor location with limited character, frequently criticised for feeling like a functional but unattractive Premier League outlier.”

Unlike many other stadiums on this list, Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park does have a charm to it. A great, local fanbase, with the stands very close to the pitch, makes it an intimidating proposition for away teams and supporters – the facilities are outdated though, and that’s why there are plans for a new stadium to be built.

14

Bosuilstadion (Belgium)

What Ai said: “Three ordinary stands are overshadowed by a jarringly modern grandstand that feels completely out of place, highlighting mismatched priorities in design.”

Royal Antwerp’s home stadium is a classic example of an owner or architect building something in stages. Without a collective plan to build a footballing venue, the result is something that looks awkwardly put together at the very last minute just to get it over and done with.

13

Stadio Euganeo (Italy)

What AI said: “A large, uninspired multi-purpose venue so disliked that the club’s ultras have boycotted it, reflecting its functional but aesthetically barren design.”

Stands that are far from the pitch thanks to a running track never attract many rave reviews from supporters. But when you couple outdated bleacher seating with it, and you end up with Padova’s Stadio Euganeo, you get a venue nobody wants to step foot in, even if Italian football is loved around the globe.

12

Fritz-Walter-Stadion (Germany)

What AI said: “A grey, brutalist exterior often compared to a prison, with a bland interior that lacks charm or visual interest.”

Built up incrementally over decades on the Betzenberg hill, resulting in mismatched stands and a bulky silhouette, Kaiserslautern’s fortress can look ugly to a lot of fans – but nothing can take way from its imposing stands, which almsot certainly strike fear into guests.

11

John Smith’s Stadium (England)

What AI said: “Four arched stands with large empty corners create an awkward, dated silhouette that has aged poorly since its 1990s opening.”

Opened in 1994, the ground was ahead of its time, but it now appears dated and rather ugly. Often, taking a risk and opting to go against the grain can be a good thing when it comes to designing a new stadium, but in this case, the John Smith’s Stadium is simply unusual. If the corners were to be filled in, it may appear better, but with the club currently in League One, it is unlikely the stadium will be expanded any time soon.

UFC 330 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia was headlined by Islam Makhachev defending his welterweight title against Ian Machado Garry, with the former retaining via a decision victory.

With his latest challenge overcome, the Russian, who is also a former lightweight champion, extends his reign at 170lbs that began in November 2025, and takes his professional record to a very impressive 29-1.

Now, Makhachev has seemingly decided who is next in line for a shot at gold.

Islam Makhachev Next Fight After UFC 330

Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

The 33-year-old was the winner in the eyes of all three judges, with scores of 49-46, 49-46, 48-47. During the fight, he looked to take the Irishman down early, drawing on his skill on the ground, refined by his work at his gym, Eagle MMA, led by former long-reigning lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Garry touched the canvas in the second round after a straight and left head kick combination. He got up, but Makhachev then got him down again and attempted to lock in a submission. It was those moments that likely convinced the judges that the reigning champion was the deserved winner.

As is natural, after the fight, people will look to the current state of play in the rankings to get an idea of who could be the next one to be chosen to try and take the title off the Russian.

In a post-fight interview, Makhachev voiced his opinions on who he thought should be next. Among the names mentioned were two more undefeated fighters and an MMA veteran who is 31 fights deep into his career. According to Makhachev, neither of those who were yet to taste defeat were those who he thought were the most deserving.

“Shavkat is not fighting, Prates is still fighting, still active. Morales also is good, but I don’t remember last time he fight.”

Shavkat Rakhmonov is currently out of action after aggravating an existing serious knee injury that will need surgery and keep him out of the Octagon for at least nine months. It was so bad that he was removed from the rankings entirely in February 2026. Another one the reigning champion brought up was Michael Morales, whose MMA record stands at a perfect 19-0, but, like Makhachev said, he hasn’t been the most active, having not fought since last November in a first-round knockout victory over Sean Brady.

As a result, Carlos Prates, who holds a record of 24-7, and has beaten names like Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena, who Makhachev beat to win the belt at 170lbs, has been touted as the next challenger by the champion himself.

Islam Makhachev Wants Swift Return to Octagon

The Russian doesn’t want to waste any time before a potential clash with Prates, insisting that he wants to fight again before Ramadan 2027, during which he wouldn’t be able to fight because, under Ramadan, he wouldn’t be able to take on fluids during the breaks between rounds, if the fight takes place during daylight hours. Specifically, he would want it to happen before the new year.

“I’m not cutting much weight, I don’t have any big injuries. That’s it.”

Every true sports fan can’t help but enjoy the occasional round of trivia where they get to flex their knowledge. Indeed, many football fans would have been screaming at the television when a Who Wants to Be a Millionaire contestant was asked a question about the Premier League.

The iconic British quiz show first started in 1998 and was rebooted in 2018 with Jeremy Clarkson taking over from original host Chris Tarrant. Every now and then, a sports question comes up and costs a player their shot at the big prize.

One man lost a whopping £108k after getting a World Cup question wrong when asked to select the most common final score in men’s FIFA World Cup finals. Another time, a lady incorrectly answered the £500,000 question, as she failed to state which of a tennis ball, an ice hockey puck, a badminton shuttlecock, or a table tennis ball has travelled over 250 miles per hour.

Another contestant has now struggled to figure out another testing bit of sports trivia.

Contestant Uses Two Lifelines on Premier League Question

In the rebooted era of the show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire host Clarkson asked a man a question relating to the Premier League:

The options available to the player were: A – Manchester United, B – Arsenal, C – Chelsea and D – Manchester City. While many football fans would be able to identify the answer, the contestant was not entirely sure.

As such, he opted to use two lifelines. First, he asked Clarkson for his opinion on the matter. The host replied: “Okay, here is what I think. Well, we know City have won it four times, which means they must have won it in the 2010s. We (Chelsea) won it. United must have won it. Did Arsenal? I’m working it out but my dates are so muddled in my head these days.”

He then stated that “Arsenal in my final answer,” but did not appear entirely sure. With Clarkson unconvincing, the player decided to then use his second lifeline and ask the audience for their help.

The audience were helpful at this point as they also leaned toward Arsenal, with 45% picking the Gunners. A further chose Man United, while 19% went for Chelsea, and the remaining 13% opted for Man City.

With all that information in mind, the contestant followed the advice and picked Arsenal. Fortunately for him, Clarkson and the audience were correct, allowing him to advance into the next round. Watch the clip below:

Premier League Winners From 2010 to 2020

Sadly for the team from North London, they did indeed fail to win the Premier League in the 2010s. Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles lifted the title in 2004 and then went on a 22-year drought before Mikel Arteta finally brought the big trophy to the Emirates in 2026.

In the period between 2010 and 2020, there were five different winners. Chelsea started the decade with a win and added two further titles in 2015 and 2017; Manchester United won the Premier League in 2011 and 2013; Both Leicester City and Liverpool won it once each in 2016 and 2020, respectively, while Man City were the most successful team of the era, winning four times (in 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2019).

However, there is a chance that the Etihad outfit are stripped of some of those titles if the club is found guilty of allegedly violating financial regulations between 2009 and 2018.